NCERT Book for Class 10 English
If you are a Class 10 student preparing for your CBSE board exams, the two NCERT English books — First Flight and Footprints Without Feet — are the most important study resources you will use all year. Both books are published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and form the core of the CBSE Class 10 English curriculum. This page brings you the complete chapter-wise details, key highlights, and everything you need to know about both books, compiled purely for educational reference.
About the NCERT Class 10 English Textbooks
NCERT designs its English textbooks to go well beyond grammar and vocabulary drills. The goal is to help students genuinely enjoy reading, think critically about what they read, and express themselves confidently in writing and speech. The two books serve different but complementary purposes.
First Flight is the main textbook, featuring both prose and poetry. It covers a wide range of themes — courage, ambition, social justice, compassion, and the human experience — through stories and poems written by Indian and international authors.
Footprints Without Feet is the supplementary reader. It is designed for independent reading and focuses on developing comprehension, inference, and critical thinking. Students are encouraged to read it on their own and reflect on the ideas each story raises.
Together, these books ensure students are exposed to a rich variety of literary genres: fiction, non-fiction, science writing, plays, and poetry.
First Flight — Chapter-Wise List (Latest Edition)
First Flight covers nine prose chapters and eleven poems. Below is the complete chapter list for the latest edition.
Prose Chapters
Chapter 1 — A Letter to God
Chapter 2 — Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Chapter 3 — Two Stories About Flying (His First Flight / Black Aeroplane)
Chapter 4 — From the Diary of Anne Frank
Chapter 5 — Glimpses of India (A Baker from Goa / Coorg / Tea from Assam)
Chapter 6 — Mijbil the Otter
Chapter 7 — Madam Rides the Bus
Chapter 8 — The Sermon at Benares
Chapter 9 — The Proposal (Play)
Poems
Dust of Snow
Fire and Ice
A Tiger in the Zoo
How to Tell Wild Animals
The Ball Poem
Amanda!
Animals
The Trees
Fog
The Tale of Custard the Dragon
For Anne Gregory
Footprints Without Feet — Chapter-Wise List (Latest Edition)
Footprints Without Feet contains nine stories from writers across the world, including British, Indian, French, American, and Japanese authors. The genre mix includes mystery, science fiction, a play, and realistic fiction.
Chapter 1 — A Triumph of Surgery (James Herriot)
Chapter 2 — The Thief's Story (Ruskin Bond)
Chapter 3 — The Midnight Visitor (Robert Arthur)
Chapter 4 — A Question of Trust (Victor Canning)
Chapter 5 — Footprints without Feet (H.G. Wells)
Chapter 6 — The Making of a Scientist (Robert W. Peterson)
Chapter 7 — The Necklace (Guy de Maupassant)
Chapter 8 — Bholi (K.A. Abbas)
Chapter 9 — The Book That Saved the Earth (Claire Boiko)
Why These Books Matter for CBSE Board Exams
The CBSE Class 10 English board paper is directly based on both these NCERT textbooks. Every extract-based question, long answer question, and reference-to-context question in the exam draws from First Flight or Footprints Without Feet. Here is why studying them thoroughly makes a real difference.
Extract-based questions require students to read a passage from either book and answer comprehension, inference, and vocabulary questions
Long answer questions (4–5 marks) ask about theme, character, or message of specific chapters
Short answer questions test understanding of plot, character motivation, and moral lessons
Poetry analysis questions are based entirely on First Flight poems
Grammar and writing tasks are evaluated separately but reading these books regularly improves overall language ability
Students who read both books carefully — rather than relying solely on notes — consistently find they can answer unfamiliar questions more confidently, because they understand the actual text rather than just memorised summaries.
Key Themes Across Both Books
One of the most valuable things about the NCERT Class 10 English syllabus is how thoughtfully the themes connect across both books. Some recurring ideas worth paying attention to include:
Courage and transformation — featured in Nelson Mandela's journey, Bholi's growth, and the stories about flying
Trust and honesty — central to The Thief's Story and A Question of Trust
Compassion and kindness — A Triumph of Surgery, Bholi, and The Sermon at Benares
Science, curiosity, and discovery — The Making of a Scientist and Footprints without Feet
Social inequalities and the role of education — Bholi and From the Diary of Anne Frank
Being aware of these themes helps students write better long answers and also makes revision faster — once you see the patterns, the content becomes much easier to remember.
How to Use These NCERT Books Effectively
Many students make the mistake of only reading summaries and questions. The better approach is to read the full original text first, then work through the exercises. Here are a few practical tips.
Read each chapter at least twice — once for the story, and once with attention to language and detail
Pay attention to the glossary at the end of each chapter in Footprints Without Feet
For poems in First Flight, read them aloud to feel the rhythm — it helps with interpretation questions
The "Think About It" and "Talk About It" sections in Footprints Without Feet are excellent preparation for long-answer questions
For the supplementary reader, practice writing your own answers to the "Read and Find Out" questions before looking at guides
This material provided on FutureTopper.in is for educational reference and study support for students preparing for CBSE Class 10 board examinations. All textbook content belongs to NCERT.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Is First Flight the main textbook or the supplementary reader for Class 10 English?
First Flight is the main textbook for CBSE Class 10 English. It contains both prose and poetry and is the primary source for board exam questions. Footprints Without Feet is the supplementary reader, meant to be read independently for additional comprehension practice. Both are part of the official CBSE syllabus and both appear in the board exam.
Q2. How many chapters are there in Footprints Without Feet for Class 10?
The latest edition of Footprints Without Feet has nine chapters (stories). These include a variety of genres — mystery stories, realistic fiction, a science-themed non-fiction piece, and a one-act play. All nine chapters are part of the CBSE Class 10 syllabus and can appear in board examinations.
Q3. Are both NCERT Class 10 English books available for free?
Yes. NCERT makes all its textbooks freely available through the official NCERT website and the DIKSHA / ePathshala platforms maintained by the government. Students can access the digital versions there at no cost. Physical copies are also sold at subsidised prices through authorised NCERT sales counters and select bookshops.
Q4. Which chapters from Footprints Without Feet are most important for the board exam?
All nine chapters are part of the official syllabus, so no chapter should be skipped. That said, chapters that are frequently asked in board examinations include The Thief's Story, Footprints without Feet, The Making of a Scientist, Bholi, and The Necklace. These chapters have rich themes and strong scope for long-answer questions. However, full preparation means being comfortable with all chapters.
Q5. How is the Class 10 English board paper structured in relation to these two books?
The CBSE Class 10 English board paper typically includes an extract-based reading section (passages from both books), short answer questions (2–3 marks each), and long answer questions (4–5 marks each). Poetry questions come specifically from First Flight's poems, while prose questions can come from either book. The grammar and writing sections are evaluated separately and are not directly drawn from chapter content, though wide reading of both books naturally improves those skills too.